Royal Caribbean has cancelled extra scheduled visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico on one in all its largest cruise ships, and cruisers will not be pleased.
Symphony of the Seas – measuring at 228,081 gross registered tons – was scheduled to go to San Juan on the 2 upcoming voyages, together with the December 28, 2024 and January 12, 2025 sailings. Nevertheless, on account of ongoing building on the pier, giant cruise ships have been unable to dock for months within the capital metropolis.
Cruisers crusing on each itineraries have been alerted lately about itinerary modifications as a result of the Oasis class ship remains to be unable to dock in San Juan. Nevertheless, each itineraries have been considerably altered because of the port change.
For the December 28 crusing, visitors acquired the next e mail from Royal Caribbean:
“We needed to tell you about some modifications to your upcoming cruise. On account of ongoing building on the pier in San Juan, the port authority has suggested us that the port won’t be prepared in time for our go to. We perceive how vital every vacation spot is to your trip, so we’ve got labored diligently to search out the most effective alternate options for you.”
The 7-night itinerary will go to Excellent Day at Coco Cay as deliberate, however visits to St. Maarten and San Juan are cancelled. As an alternative of visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico, the revised itinerary has Symphony of the Seas will now be visiting Labadee, Haiti.
As one in all Royal Caribbean’s non-public locations, Labadee was lately reopened following violence within the nation this 12 months. The cruise line suspending visits to Labadee when pressure started to rise within the spring; nonetheless, the non-public vacation spot’s location is totally operated by the cruise line.
Royal Caribbean additionally added a brand new port cease in Nassau, Bahamas on the December 28, 2024 crusing, which can substitute one of many sea days.
As well as, vacationers on the January 12, 2025 crusing onboard Symphony of the Seas acquired the same e mail from Royal Caribbean about itinerary modifications. The 7-night Japanese Caribbean crusing was meant to go to San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 15, 2025.
The Oasis class vessel was scheduled to go to Excellent Day at CocoCay and Phillipsburg, St. Maarten on a roundtrip itinerary from Miami, Florida. Nevertheless, the continual points with San Juan have induced the cruise line to revise this itinerary too.
Friends booked on the impacted itinerary have been advised the cruise would not sail an Japanese Caribbean itinerary. Though Symphony of the Seas will go to Excellent Day at CocoCay as deliberate on January 13, 2024, the remainder of the port visits are altered.
As an alternative of visiting Puerto Rico, the ship will now dock in Labadee, Haiti. Moreover, the brand new itinerary incorporates a port go to to Falmouth, Jamaica as a substitute of St. Maarten. The remaining two sea days on the itinerary stay unchanged. Symphony of the Seas will return to Miami, Florida as scheduled.
Ongoing points docking in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Prior to those latest modifications, Royal Caribbean additionally adjusted Symphony of the Seas’ itineraries in December that have been meant to dock in San Juan. Sailings all through November and December have been additionally altered considerably to interchange San Juan, Puerto Rico due to the pier points that persist.
Sadly, there is no such thing as a finish in sight for the port cancellations in Puerto Rico on account of “technical points” with San Juan’s pier.
Royal Caribbean defined in communication earlier this month, “We’ve lately been suggested by the port authority in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that on account of technical points with the pier and the work that should be executed and cleared by america Coast Guard for accepting a ship our dimension, we’ll have to regulate our itinerary for our crusing.”
At the moment, there is no such thing as a timeline for when the pier will likely be accomplished. The dock is situated in San Juan’s outdated city, making it one of many extra in style locations for cruisers within the Caribbean. Neither the Port Authority in San Juan nor Royal Caribbean have said when the pier will likely be cleared for bigger vessels, indicating the pier won’t be mounted for a while.
In response to native studies from elnuevodia, San Juan’s Pier 3 was broken by MSC Meraviglia in April 2024. This pressured the port to shut down the west facet of the ability till additional discover due to the in depth injury to the pier. Neither Royal Caribbean nor the Port of San Juan have confirmed the pier injury by MSC Meraviglia.
Fortunately, San Juan has two docks for cruise ships to make use of. Smaller ships are ready to make use of the Pan America pier; nonetheless, Oasis class ships are solely ready to make use of the broken pier because of the giant dimension. As such, Royal Caribbean is technically on the mercy of San Juan to restore the broken pier earlier than they will resume regular operations.
Disappointment and frustration from many impacted cruisers
Though Royal Caribbean is technically not liable for the broken pier repairs, many cruisers are annoyed by the continued last-minute modifications. The repeated itinerary changes are disappointing for many cruisers scheduled to trip on Symphony of the Seas.
Cruisers impacted by the crusing have taken to social media to voice their frustrations, together with a thread on Reddit and discussion board submit on Royal Caribbean Weblog.
Particularly, some have expressed their dismay with Royal Caribbean selecting to interchange San Juan, Puerto Rico with less-desired ports. For instance, the U.S. State Division has Haiti as a “Stage 4: Do Not Journey” advisory for the area. Others will not be happy with the elimination of St. Maarten for Falmouth, Jamaica.
“Skipping St. Maarten for Jamaica, Haiti and Nassau would make me cranky,” commented one consumer on Reddit.
Others discovered the wording of the communication comical contemplating the political unrest in Haiti. “[Haiti is] so beautiful that there are armed guards who cease you from leaving the non-public port,” responded one commenter.
“Telling us that being diverted to Haiti (throughout a stage 4 don’t journey advisory) is out of the blue secure is an insult. RC stopped visiting Labadee in March, 2024… however now ‘the protection and safety of our visitor stays our fundamental precedence’ — and similar to that it’s secure once more?” commented one annoyed cruiser.
“Ugh. Nassau and Falmouth in alternate for San Juan and St. Martin? That’s the downgrade of downgrades,” responded one other consumer.
“Love how they attempt to make roses out of turds,” exclaimed one responder.
Others are annoyed by Royal Caribbean’s lack of planning contemplating the continued situation, particularly contemplating the cruise line continues to promote Oasis class cruises visiting San Juan in early 2025:
“RCCL continues to look dangerous on this situation. They should know the pier situation goes to take time to get again to operations that help Oasis class ships. Rhapsody docked simply nice this morning. Extremely suggest the itinerary she is operating proper now.”
The poster replied, “Undoubtedly knew, looks like a bait and change to personal islands. The cash seize from Covid downtime is so very obvious. A minimum of attempt to substitute with one other japanese island.”
Which Royal Caribbean ships are impacted?
Reviews of points with docking in San Juan, Puerto Rico have been reported by Royal Caribbean cruisers as early as April 2024. Friends crusing on Surprise of the Seas reported the captain selected to divert the ship from San Juan and Dominican Republic to go to St. Thomas and St. Maarten as a substitute. On the time, visitors have been advised the pier was broken by an MSC ship and Oasis class ships couldn’t dock.
After the diversion of Surprise of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas has confronted the best influence. For the reason that spring, each itinerary that included a cease in San Juan has been modified.
Waiting for subsequent 12 months, Symphony of the Seas has deliberate visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico, all through early 2025. Whereas January itineraries have already been modified, no updates have been shared relating to modifications to further sailings. If the pier’s restore timeline stays unclear and changes proceed, extra itineraries might be affected.
As an illustration, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, a Quantum class ship measuring 167,000 gross registered tons, can be scheduled to go to San Juan on January 30, 2025. At the moment, this crusing has not been impacted.
Lastly, Rhapsody of the Seas is home-ported in San Juan and sails roundtrip itineraries from the capital metropolis to the Southern Caribbean. As a result of Rhapsody of the Seas is without doubt one of the cruise line’s smallest ship, the vessel operates on the different San Juan dock. Subsequently, the Imaginative and prescient class ship has not been impacted and continues to function as scheduled.
Are impacted cruisers receiving compensation?
Even with the adjusted sailings, cruisers on impacted itineraries will not be being provided the chance to cancel for a refund. This has created further frustration for vacationers who’re visiting ports of name they didn’t initially plan to go to.
“They offered and marketed this New Years Vacation Cruise as an Japanese Caribbean itinerary realizing that it was unlikely that the San Juan port can be mounted,” argued one other cruiser on-line.
Itinerary modifications will not be unusual within the cruise business, particularly for weather-related modifications. Nevertheless, as a result of cruise traces have the facility to make itinerary modifications as wanted for any purpose, visitors will not be presently being provided any kind of refund or compensation for the change.
For earlier itinerary modifications attributable to the pier points in San Juan, Royal Caribbean introduced that visitors would robotically be refunded to their authentic type of fee for any pay as you go excursions on the canceled ports. Moreover, new excursions will seemingly be provided via Royal Caribbean for ports of name in Falmouth (Jamaica), Nassau (Bahamas) and Labadee (Haiti).
